Laravel Forge alternative: Laravel, WordPress and OpenLiteSpeed on one panel
4 min read
Need a Laravel Forge alternative? Zefily deploys Laravel with zero downtime and runs WordPress, OpenLiteSpeed, Node.js, Python and containers next to it, with a free plan and malware scanning.
Laravel Forge is the Laravel team's server panel, built around nginx and Laravel apps. Zefily gives Laravel apps the same comfort and adds what mixed servers need: a WordPress toolkit, OpenLiteSpeed, other languages, one-click apps, and security tools for the whole server.
In short
- Laravel apps get Git deploys with health checks, zero-downtime releases and instant rollback, queue workers, the scheduler and Artisan from the panel.
- WordPress, OpenLiteSpeed, Node.js, Python and containers run next to Laravel on the same server.
- Malware scanning, vulnerability notices and AI bot blocking are built in; every job is signed twice.
- Free plan for 1 server; paid plans from $8 a month.
At a glance
| Laravel Forge | Zefily | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Hobby $12 (1 external server), Growth $19, Business $39 | Free for 1 server and 2 sites, no time limit; from $8/month for 3 servers |
| Web server | nginx | nginx (own build, HTTP/3, Brotli) or OpenLiteSpeed |
| Apps | PHP, Laravel, WordPress, Statamic, Node.js, Nuxt, Next.js | PHP 7.3–8.5, Node.js, Python, Go, Java, .NET, Ruby, Bun, Deno, containers |
Competitor details are taken from their own pages in October 2026 and may change. Zefily prices are in US dollars, excluding VAT.
What you get with Zefily
More than PHP
WordPress, Laravel and PHP sites run next to Node.js and Python apps, Go, Java, .NET, Ruby, Bun and Deno, rootless containers and Compose files, each as its own Linux user. One-click apps such as Ghost, Nextcloud, Uptime Kuma and Supabase are upgraded one major version at a time, with a backup taken first.
A WordPress toolkit in every plan
Core, plugin and theme updates with a snapshot taken first, vulnerability checks, malware scans, cloning and staging copies, included in every plan, Free too.
Malware scanning with quarantine
ClamAV scans every site's files on demand, daily or weekly, and can move what it finds to a root-only quarantine. Upload scanning checks every file the moment it is written (SFTP, deploys, plugin installs, upload forms) and quarantines infected files at once. Scans need a server with 2 GB of memory, upload scanning 4 GB. More on our security tools.
Vulnerability scans and notices
Installed packages are checked against the OSV database (Debian and Ubuntu advisories), WordPress core, plugins and themes against WPVulnerability, and you are told by email when security updates have been waiting for more than two days or an installed Node.js version has a security release.
Signed jobs and passkey approvals
Every change to a server is signed by the panel and by a separate signing service on its own machine; risky actions (a root terminal, deleting a site or database, opening a database port) also need your passkey. A stolen session, or even a compromised panel, cannot quietly change your servers. How it works.
A web stack we build and patch
Zefily ships its own nginx build with HTTP/3 and Brotli, and its own signed PHP packages so PHP 7.3–8.5 run even on Ubuntu 26.04 (amd64 and arm64). Security fixes for PHP, nginx, OpenLiteSpeed and PostgreSQL install automatically, and you can switch a running server between nginx and OpenLiteSpeed in place.
Made for how you work
Free zefily.app addresses to test a site before DNS, an API and CLI, an MCP server so AI agents such as Claude, Cursor or VS Code can deploy and roll back with a token you control, and Feature requests in the panel, where every idea gets a status and an answer from us.
When Laravel Forge may still be the right fit
If you run only Laravel apps on nginx and want Laravel VPS, Forge's own instant servers, Forge is built for exactly that.
Moving from Laravel Forge to Zefily
- Connect a server to Zefily: a fresh Ubuntu or Debian server at any provider works best, since Zefily does not take over software it did not install.
- Create the site with the PHP version (or runtime) it uses today.
- Copy the files over SFTP and import the database in the site's database section.
- Test on the site's free
zefily.appaddress before you touch DNS. - Switch DNS; the certificate is issued automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Laravel Forge?
Yes. Zefily has a free plan for 1 server and 2 sites with no time limit, including zero-downtime Git deploys, backups and the web application firewall.
Can Zefily deploy Laravel apps with zero downtime?
Yes. Laravel apps deploy from GitHub with health checks, zero-downtime releases and instant rollback; queue workers and the scheduler run as managed services.
Does Zefily support OpenLiteSpeed?
Yes. Each server runs nginx or OpenLiteSpeed, and a running server can switch in place.
Can I run WordPress and Laravel on the same server?
Yes. Each site runs as its own Linux user in its own PHP pool, so a WordPress site and a Laravel app can share a server, even on different PHP versions.
Can AI agents deploy with Zefily?
Yes. The zefily CLI includes an MCP server, so Claude, Cursor, VS Code and other agents can list servers and sites and deploy or roll back with an API token you control.
Start free with one server: no time limit, and your first site can be live on a free zefily.app address in minutes.